Diamond No Ace: Life As Sawamura Eijun

With firm conviction, pitcher Kawakami stepped onto the mound.

The pitching he displayed was, to Kuroba High, truly an unexpected surprise.

After all, throughout this entire year of official games, Kawakami had been a pitcher with an extremely faint presence. Whether in the summer or the fall, he had never really stood out.

Among other teams as well, those who studied Seidou High's pitching staff rarely paid much attention to Kawakami.

And yet, this very pitcher perfectly suppressed Kuroba's lineup in the top of the first inning.

Apart from the second batter, who managed to get on base with a lucky infield hit, the other three were shut down flawlessly by Kawakami. Three outs, side retired. Right from the opening frame, Seidou High had already seized control of the practice game.

Looking at the very first inning alone, the difference in strength between the two schools was already obvious.

The players of Kuroba High realized an important truth:

Even though they dominated the Kyoto region and secured a ticket to next year's Spring Koshien, once they stepped outside their local area and entered the national stage, they were still weak compared to true powerhouses.

Their level, compared to the nation's elite, still had a significant gap.

To Kuroba's credit, their ace pitcher Ito regrouped. His sloppy first inning hadn't shown his real ability. By the second inning, he had adjusted.

"Whoosh!"

"Smack!"

"Strike! Batter out!!!"

Standing in the batter's box, Kuramochi frowned as he was struck out. With a flick of his bat, he walked off in frustration.

Not only did Ito manage to silence Kuramochi, but even when Shirasu connected for a double, he still held Seidou scoreless in the second inning.

From that point, Kuroba gradually steadied themselves. Of course, "steady" here only meant avoiding another disastrous inning like the first — they still couldn't truly suppress Seidou's lineup.

The ace's recovery also sparked his team's bats.

In the bottom of the third inning, a fierce line drive off Kawakami brought in Kuroba's first run.

Then, with a runner on third, Kawakami wavered, losing command and issuing a walk. The next batter hit a timely single, bringing in another run.

Two runs allowed in quick succession.

The lead was cut down to a single run, and Kuroba High finally showed the crowd and their opponents a glimpse of their fighting spirit.

For three innings, both teams displayed what a clash between top-tier schools should look like.

But as mentioned before, Kuroba's strength, while good enough to stand among the "mid-tier" of national contenders, was still clearly lacking against the current Seidou High.

"Whoosh!"

"Ping!!!"

Top of the fifth inning.

Seidou's third trip through the batting order.

After Haruichi singled to right field, cleanup hitter Miyuki launched a towering shot to left.

"Clang!!"

The ball smashed against the tall outfield netting before dropping down.

On the mound, Ito pulled his cap lower, his expression grim.

A powerful home run.

Captain, cleanup, and catcher — Miyuki Kazuya — once again widened the lead to three runs.

"Yeahhh! Nice one, Captain!"

"Haha, that's the strength we need, Miyuki-kun!"

"A cleanup hitter should always hit like that!"

"Go, Seidou!"

Cheers erupted, Seidou's momentum soaring. A cleanup batter should play like a cleanup batter.

Even in Kuroba r's dugout, Coach Oda couldn't help but admire it.

Not only an exceptional catcher, but as team captain and the central pillar of the lineup —

Miyuki Kazuya is truly the kind of catcher any team would dream of having.

But Miyuki's home run wasn't the end of the inning. It was only the beginning.

The proper use of power.

The activation of technique.

The knack for targeting inside fastballs.

Avoiding weaknesses and maximizing strengths.

During the fall tournament, Maezono finally came to fully grasp what Ochiai had once told him:

His own helplessness.

His own uselessness.

His own frustration.

All he could do was watch the team lose, unable to contribute at all.

Stronger — I must become stronger!

What he needed was greater strength — a power so overwhelming it carried true intimidation!

"Whoosh!"

"Swish!"

"Ping!!"

The fastball on the inside corner came racing in, brushing dangerously close to his body.

With every ounce of force he could muster, Maezono swung.

In an incredibly skillful motion, he pulled the pitch and sent it screaming down the right-field line.

A powerful, all-out hit.

The ball carried far, soaring into right field.

"Thud!"

When the ball dropped, Maezono had already stormed into second base.

A perfect inside-corner hit.

From the dugout, Ochiai gave a small nod of approval.

Now that's more like it.

This kind of hitting — this level of execution — was barely enough to be worthy of a cleanup hitter's title.

But it still wasn't enough. If Maezono wanted to protect his spot in the lineup, he would have to grow stronger. Much stronger!

Ochiai's eyes narrowed slightly, a cold glint flickering in his gaze.

Seidou's Ideal

Swift as the wind.

Calm as the fire.

Aggressive as the forest.

Immovable as the mountain.

That was the ultimate ideal for Seidou's offense and defense.

And in this practice match against Kuroba High, Seidou's entire team demanded nothing less of themselves.

By the fifth inning, Kuroba had no real resistance left.

Even when their lineup scraped together a run in the top of the eighth inning, breaking through Seidou's defense with grit, it was too little, too late. The collapse had already begun.

Three runs surrendered in the very first inning.

Another four runs lost in the fifth.

The tide was irreversible.

Maezono's double was followed by consecutive hits from Toujou and Takatsu.

In particular, Takatsu's steady batting — having already reached base earlier in the game — drew satisfied nods from both Coach Kataoka and Ochiai. He was already being considered as a candidate for Seidou's restructured lineup.

Then, in the seventh inning, Haruichi blasted a home run, sealing Kuroba's fate.

By that point, Kuroba High had completely fallen apart.

The Final Score

"Smack!"

"Out!"

"Game set!!!"

Final result: 9–3.

An overwhelming victory.

Seidou High won their first practice match following the autumn tournament in dominant fashion.

Aftermath

"Salute!"

"Thank you for the game!!!"

For Seidou, this game was about rediscovering their state of mind and sharpening their goals.

For Kuroba High, it was a rude awakening — snapping them out of the dream of being regional autumn champions. They were forced to face their weaknesses, their lack of power, and the gaps in their ability.

In the end, the crowd of onlookers bore witness once more to what it truly meant to be called the King's Batting Lineup.

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